SAN ANTONIO — Peak into Nikki Stovall's online photo album and you'll see a glimpse of her life.
You'll see her three children dressed up for Halloween one year and on a beachside vacation the next. All while having someone special by their side.
"We've had au pairs from Brazil, Germany, France," Stovall said via FaceTime as she continued to list off the eight different au pairs her family has lived with over the years.
The Texas woman is now a consultant for Cultural Care Au Pair.
"Since the virus has hit, we've seen really demand for au pair skyrocket. I think a lot of people realize having in-home care is actually a huge advantage right now with everything that's going on," she said.
According to Cultural Care's site, an au pair is on average $1200 cheaper a month than an American nanny.
But right now, au pairs are on hold after President Trump suspended certain work visa programs hoping it would ease the economic impact of the coronavirus and improve the work field for Americans.
But for people like Lauren, a disabled veteran and Texan, it hurt more than it helped. She was expecting her au pair this week.
"I'm glad they want to protect American jobs, but this disabled veteran American has the fear every day of losing her job because I can't get my au pair here," Lauren said via Zoom.
It's a reality for thousands of others across the country as the order is slated to last until the end of the year, but many hope the suspension is lifted sooner rather than later.
"To say they're not allowed to come when both sides of the world have made arrangements, that's just so heartbreaking," Lauren said.